Philipp Herkelmann | Operator | Advisor | First Check InvestorAbout Me
Based in Berlin with my wife and two daughters, I am a dedicated family dad and passionate collaborator with founders and builders.My career journey encompasses diverse sectors and ecosystems (Europe, Silicon Valley, UKI) spanning public governance, VC-backed entrepreneurship as a founder, global sales leadership at Google, Program Lead at X for Project Chorus, and investing in 30+ software and tech companies. In particular, I get excited by teams focusing on large problems like Sensmore, Noah Labs, Orbital Matters or LevelNine Bio.Most recently, as Partner & General Manager at Entrepreneur First, I focused on talent-driven pre-seed & seed investments, particularly in early-stage frontier tech and SaaS, inspired by their proprietary Talent & Tech thesis.While a builder at heart, I enjoy hands-on involvement in smaller projects during my free time.I'm actively committed to supporting founders, companies , and (ecosystem-) builders through mentorship, advisory, networking, policy advocacy, and investments.Let's connect on LinkedIn or X.
Investments
| Startup | Vertical | Investment | Current Stage | First Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blocktorch | Web3 Infra | Pre-Seed | Acquired | Yes |
| FridayFinance | Fintech | Pre-Seed / Series A | Acquired | Yes |
| Playback | Social Commerce | Pre-Seed | Acquired | Yes |
| Kreatize | Manufacturing / Platform | Seed + MBO | Series B | No |
| Cirplus | Circular Economy / Platform | Seed | Series A | No |
| Byways | Logistics | Seed | Seed | No |
| DeepSpin | Healthtech | Seed | Seed | No |
| Epsilico | Biotech | Pre-Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Freshflow | Food tech AI | Pre-Seed / Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Itexia | SaaS Circularity | Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Level Nine Bio | Biotech | Pre-Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Modelme.tech | GenAI Image | Pre-Seed / Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Noah Lab | Healthtech / AI | Pre-Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Nostos Genomics | Healthtech | Seed | Seed | No |
| Rouvia | Logistic / SaaS | Pre-Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Sensmore | Robotics / AI | Pre-Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Thermosphr | Climate Tech AI / HVAC | Pre-Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Uify | Frontline AI / SaaS | Seed | Seed | Yes |
| Avayl | Pharma Intelligence / AI | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| Bryo.io | Procurement AI | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| Crane BioScience | Biotech | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| Mirantus | Healthcare | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| Orbital Matter | Space | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| TextCortex | GenAI / SaaS | Pre-Seed + | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| Velsa | Legaltech / SaaS | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| Zebracat | GenAI Video | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed + | Yes |
| Amayu Health | Healthcare | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed | Yes |
| ConnectReal | Real Estate AI | Pre-Seed | Pre-Seed | Yes |
| Character | Social | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
| Deep Balancer | Cryptofinance | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
| FemXX Health | Social FemTech | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
| Heytheo.com | Hardware | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
| Meta Wealth | Cryptofinance | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
| Moonpass | Cryptofinance | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
| Narrative | Finance/Wealth Management | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
| Tacit | Web3 | Pre-Seed | - | Yes |
Work
2024 | Advisory & Venture Building: Developed and sold software in procurement & next-gen ERP, Advisory.
2024 | www.EU-INC.org: Co-initiated the policy initiative with Andreas Klinger, Simon Schaefer & Vojtech Hojna.
2023-2024 | Parental Break: Focused on family and the birth of our second child. Engaged in research, skill development, and product building. Provided consulting to selected organizations, non-profits, and accelerators.
2020-2023 | Entrepreneur First: Partner & General Manager. Promoted after 12 months. Enabled the creation of 30 tech companies. Specialized in talent-driven investments in early-stage frontier tech and SaaS.
2019-2020 | Google: Transitioned back to Germany. Part-time role preparing for exit. Managed relationships and strategies for major clients.
2018-2019 | X-The Moonshot Factory US: Led a US-wide commercial pilot of an IoT device with predictive analytics with the largest global logistics provider. Gained deep insights into tech and Silicon Valley thinking.
2015-2018 | Google DE: Industry Manager. Managed brand and e-commerce strategies for major sports brands. Developed global sales strategies and market intelligence tools. Engaged with C-level executives.
2013-2015 | Google Ireland: Sales Team member. Managed performance marketing for major clients in Travel & Retail.
2012-2013 | Rocket Internet Venture: Product Manager. Learned e-commerce product development.
2010-2012 | Own VC-backed Venture: Founded "GiftMe". Participated in StartUpBootCamp. Raised a pre-seed round.
2008-2011 | Internships & Studying: Completed a bachelor’s in Public Management and Governance at Zeppelin University. Interned at G.I.Z. in Nepal. Co-authored a book on grassroots lobbying. Developed marketing concepts for the introduction of the first I-Phone and sold to Deutsche Telekom.
Projects & Tinkering
chiq.ai (2024): Contract Software & AI Development with top-tier engineers from Google, 8200 & Twiggle
ProcurementNext (2024): AI enabled Inventory & Procurement Intelligence [5-digit revenue after 2 months]
Doyen.one (2024): Custom algorithms, mathematical models for processes and decisions with Dr. Paul Boes
smrtspace.xyz (2023): Index & Abstract of public scientific lectures [ca. 2000 MAU]
Applicant.Space (2024): Next Level Job Offer Pages with Benjamin Libor [No Sales]
Room720 (2023): Community for Next-Generation top technical founders [ca. 300 active members]
Short-Form Writing (2024): 30 short-form essays in 30 days to build a muscle in Digital Writing
Long-Form Writing (2023): Deep-Dive essays on Entrepreneurship
Funfacts
I assisted in 14 C-Sections
Nepalese heritage goods are partially running on a depreciation schedule, designed by me
I have an education in Drama Improv Acting from Gaiety School in Dublin